Top 10: Christmas Movies For Guys

Christmas is just around the corner. While this implies shopping, caroling and the inevitable display of good cheer, it also means the time is ripe to take in some Christmas movies.

Afraid already, aren't you? Rest assured, holiday films are not limited to classics like It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street . Find out which movies guys could actually enjoy watching during this festive season. The following flicks really do have some kind of connection with the holidays. Be sure to tell that to your woman next time she sticks White Christmas into the DVD player.

Number 10

Uh, something's wrong, those aren't the right lyrics... That's because the 1984 film Silent Night, Deadly Night isn't your typical Christmas movie. After a young boy witnesses his parents being murdered by a psycho wearing a Santa suit, he's subjected to a strict upbringing in an orphanage.

As an adult, he gets a job at a department store but snaps when he's required to dress up as Santa Claus. Suddenly, he finds himself on a killing rampage, killing his way back to the orphanage. So perhaps this movie won't inspire you to trim the tree and go on a sleigh ride, but a movie that has spawned four sequels can't be all that bad.

Best line: "You see Santa Claus tonight you better run boy, you better run for ya life!"

Number 9

One year before Nicolas Cage hit the big time with his Oscar win and A-list status, Trapped in Paradise was released. In this 1994 film, Cage stars as Bill Firpo, a nice guy who gets sucked into helping his brothers (played by Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz) rob a small-town bank during the holidays.

But the getaway is harder than expected when a snowstorm hits and everyone around them treats them nicer than they've ever been treated before. The Christmas spirit eventually melts their hearts and Bill even manages to find the love of his life. Not only is it great to see the nice guy get the girl, but such lovable losers are always good for a laugh.

Best line: "In the Firpo family, the man with half a brain is king!"

Number 8

Back in the day before your woman was addicted to TLC's Trading Spaces , guys were laughing their butts off with the 1983 holiday classic, Trading Places . Two financial tycoons want to find out whether industrialists are born or made, so they pick up a homeless con artist, Eddie Murphy, and give him Dan Aykroyd's executive position within their company, stripping the latter of all his possessions.

The result is two fish out of water stories as Murphy and Aykroyd try to adjust to their new lives. Before long, however, both men join forces to expose the tycoons and their little game. Jamie Lee Curtis offers a fine dose of nudity and yuletide cheer as a prostitute trying to help them out. And Murphy sure knows how to throw a Christmas party!

Best line: "It seems to me that the best way to hurt rich people is by making them poor."

Number 7

Any guy who doesn't know about this 1988 movie doesn't deserve his manhood. Bruce Willis is John McClane, a hard-nosed NYPD detective stuck in a Los Angeles skyscraper for a Christmas party at his estranged wife's company. Bad guys take over the building and a barefoot Bruce is left alone to save the day.

Okay, so this movie isn't really about eggnog and chestnuts, but a lot of stuff ends up roasting on an open fire. Talk about unlucky, John McClane goes through a similar ordeal the next year in the sequel Die Hard 2 , where Christmas Eve is spent at a D.C. airport.

Best line: "Man, if this is their idea of Christmas, I gotta be here for New Year's."

Number 6

Filmgoers can always trust the twisted mind of Tim Burton for original stories. He surpassed himself in 1993 with The Nightmare Before Christmas , an animated musical/horror/comedy about Jack Skellington, the ruler of Halloween Town, who stumbles across Christmas Town when he becomes bored of the same old Halloween routine.

Skellington realizes that Halloween needs a little Christmas-like injection. To achieve this goal, he even kidnaps Santa Claus and attempts to take over for him. As you can see, it's not your usual holiday movie. Those who enjoy poking fun at traditions and like their jokes on the dark side will be amazed by this Tim Burton effort.

Number 5

Picture this: you have a Manhattan penthouse, a Ferrari at the door, hot women at your beck and call, and you're the number two guy at a multinational corporation. This is what Jack Campbell's (played by Nicolas Cage) life is like in the 2000 film, The Family Man . But then something freaky happens after an encounter with a street thug...

The next thing he knows he wakes up in the suburbs, married to his college sweetheart, Kate (Tea Leoni). It's Christmas Eve and he's now a father who works as a tire salesman. Although it's a modern take on It's A Wonderful Life , most guys can surely relate to the "what if life were different?" question. Of course, what seems like a nightmare at first becomes a lesson: being a Wall Street hotshot cannot replace family and love (cue the violins...) And there's nothing funnier than watching a dude change diapers for the first time.

Best line: "Because you thought I was cocky , I'm now on a permanent acid trip ?"

Number 4

One of the greatest writers of the 19th century, Charles Dickens wrote the seminal Christmas story with A Christmas Carol . In 1988, Bill Murray starred in its goofiest version: Scrooged . The hilarious actor stars as a cynical TV executive who doesn't care about Christmas.

As a result, he meets ghosts who take him on a nostalgic New York City tour where Murray is able to confront his demons, reforming him into a nice guy in the end. Watching Bill Murray spreading Christmas cheer more than makes up for the sappiness.

Best line: "No, you are a hallucination, brought on by alcohol! Russian Vodka, poisoned by Chernobyl!"

Number 3

Bad Santa

Here's one for guys everywhere. In the most recent film on the list, Billy Bob Thornton stars as Willie, an alcoholic thief who along with Marcus, his dwarf partner (Tony Cox), rips off shopping malls. Their M.O. is to work as "Santa and his elf" so they can walk around the premises without arousing suspicion. But their perfect plan is foiled one year by an 8-year-old dweeb who leeches on to Willie.

This is one of the most hilarious movies of 2003 because it pulls no punches. There's no redemption for the nasty and suicidal Willie and this dark comedy isn't afraid of offending viewers. What other movie is going to feature a woman with a Santa Claus fetish?

Best line: "I slept with a woman who was unclean and got sick. All my hair fell out, so I had to get this fake beard."
-When asked what happened to his beard.

Number 2

Ah, you've got to love the Griswolds, the Chicago clan under the leadership of Clark (Chevy Chase): a nice guy who wants to do the right thing but always tries too hard. You loved them on their road trip across America but this time, the fun occurs when the Griswolds decide to stay home for Christmas.

The screwball 1989 slapstick is back with a vengeance when the family installs Christmas lights, goes shopping, and invites relatives over for the holidays. Unfortunately, cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) arrives uninvited and his primitive manners turn the Griswolds' dream holiday into a virtual nightmare. And I'm not even mentioning the missing Christmas bonus.

Best line: "Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no! We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here! We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny f*cking Kaye! And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse!"

Number 1

Here it is folks, the mother of all Christmas movies. Released in 1994, The Ref focuses on hapless cat burglar Denis Leary who's abandoned by his partner during a Christmastime robbery and forced to hold an affluent Connecticut family hostage.

The problem is that this couple — played by Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis — fight so much that Leary becomes more of a referee than a hostage taker. When their blackmailing son and in-laws drop in, the situation is more than Leary can handle. The way these actors deliver the verbal jousting makes this film one jolly ol' time.

Best line: "You know what I'm going to get you next Christmas, Mom? A big wooden cross, so that every time you feel unappreciated for your sacrifices, you can climb on up and nail yourself to it."

happy viewing

You may have noticed that some of these films don't necessarily focus on Christmas or its themes, but we're all entitled to a little leeway. Besides, isn't Christmas about being merry?